Ala. PSC candidates vow to fight for coal

Published: Friday, September 20, 2013 at 8:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, September 20, 2013 at 8:43 p.m.

Republican Public Service Commission candidates promised to fight for Tuscaloosa’s coal industry during a political forum held Thursday night in Northport.

All three GOP candidates for the Alabama Public Service Commission Place 2 seat agreed that, if elected, they would protect Alabama’s coal and natural resource industries, fight for lower utilities rates, create jobs and stand against the federal Environmental Protection Agency

Phillip Brown, chairman of the Alabama Minority GOP, Jonathan Barbee, Alabama Republican Party interim press secretary, and Chris “Chip” Beeker, a former Greene County commissioner, debated Thursday night. The three are vying for the seat held by incumbent Terry Dunn, who did not attend the Thursday night forum.

The Alabama Public Service Commission, originally the Railroad Commission of Alabama, regulates utility franchise rates, transportation and telecommunication to ensure safety and to provide affordable services to consumers.

When speaking about utility companies Beeker said, “You have to make sure that they would be allowed to earn a reasonable return, but it also sees to it that the consumer would not pay any more than they would have to pay for that, so it’s walking the tightrope. And I tell you that if I ever fell off the tightrope, I would fall on the side of the consumer and not on the side of the utilities.”

The three challengers promise to stand up to the EPA, especially regarding the coal industry. Barbee said he wants to take the fight to the EPA and not wait for them to come to Alabama.

“I think we need to protect the coal industry and that we should be the shield for all Alabamians and we need to secure these jobs, that’s the most important thing,” Barbee said.

Coal has created thousands of jobs in Tuscaloosa County and Brown said that a stigma has been attached to the industry, which he said has been a blessing to the state for years.

“I believe we have a very responsible coal industry. If it’s not broke, let’s not fix it. If there are some problems then let’s work with them. Let’s not ignore our natural resources,” Brown said. “We should use them to the benefit of our state.”

The primary for the PSC seat will be held June 3, 2014. No Democrat candidate has entered the race.

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